


what if we held hands (in our pyjama pants)

by ghostfaeries



Series: Trans Bats [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angst, Asexual Tim Drake, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Tim Drake, Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Conner Kent has ADHD, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demisexual Conner Kent, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Bro Dick Grayson, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mentioned birdflash and jayroy, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Trans Character, Trans Conner Kent, Trans Tim Drake, also damian is autistic and dick and wally have adhd it just isnt big enough to tag separately, hoo boy get ready for a load of tags, its only a small bit please read the notes for trigger warnings, jason and damian are ace as well and all the brothers are trans cause im trans and i do what i want, o yeah thats also a thing dont ask why it just happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24496441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostfaeries/pseuds/ghostfaeries
Summary: “Timmy? Is everything alright?”Kon reached for Tim’s hand, which was resting on the table. Tim snatched it away as soon as he felt the brush of his fingers, like it had burned him.What’s going on?~Tim has a shutdown and Kon helps him through it, or Tim learns that he's loved
Relationships: Jonathan Kent & Kon-El | Conner Kent, Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tim Drake & Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Trans Bats [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850425
Comments: 20
Kudos: 214





	1. let our hearts beat

**Author's Note:**

> I finally finished it!!! This fic took me like 1,5 months I'm so happy it's finally done!!!
> 
> First of all, happy pride month yall!! Have some queers  
> I poured a piece of my soul into this fic, it means a lot to me. I'm trans autistic and ace and I like to project onto Tim so that's what I did  
> There are so many meme references in this 10 points to you if you can spot them all
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Title of both the chapters and the entire fic from Pyjama Pants by Cavetown 
> 
> Trigger warnings: Tim has a shutdown in this chapter. It's not from his pov but it could still be triggering to ppl so here's the line at which it starts: "Tim was all tensed up, gaze fixed on something behind Kon." continue reading at "After what could’ve been ten minutes or ten hours"
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you ship any of the batkids, don't read my work. They're siblings and it makes me incredible uncomfortable when people who ship them interact with me in any way. Please leave

“Hey, babe!”

Kon had spotted the familiar mop of black hair belonging to his boyfriend standing in front of the mall and shouted a greeting. Kon barrelled toward him, nearly knocking him over with the force of his hug. Tim caught them before they could actually fall, steadying them with his hands on Kon’s shoulders.

“Woah there, babe, careful,” Tim said, grinning. “Wouldn’t want to injure your boyfriend.”

“Sorry,” Kon replied giddily. “Just missed you.”

“We saw each other two days ago,” Tim commented.

“So? Doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.”

“Sap.”

But he pulled Kon into a hug anyway.

“And I’m proud of it," Kon said into Tim’s hair. He couldn’t see it but he knew Tim was smiling. They pulled away after a moment and Kon grabbed Tim’s hand, dragging him inside the mall.

“Come on, let’s go!”

“Are you actually going to tell me what we’re doing here, then? You just said to meet in front of the shopping centre.” Tim questioned as he was pulled past several stores without going inside.

“Patience, young padawan. All will be clear in just a few minutes.”

“That’s not even an actual Star Wars quote!”

Kon just turned around partly and stuck his tongue out at him. Tim sighed fondly and resigned himself to whatever Kon had planned.

* * *

“Hot Topic. You’re bringing me to Hot Topic.” Tim looked at Kon, unbelieving. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Kon said, popping the P. “One hundred percent serious.”

When Tim didn’t say anything, just gave him A Look, he continued. “You can try to fool me all you want, Timmy, but I know you’ve been eyeing that Studio Ghibli merch.”

“How did you...?”

“Not telling.”

Tim sighed. “It was Jason, wasn’t it?”

“My lips are sealed. Besides, I want a new leather jacket.”

“You already have two.”

“Exactly! Way too few! Now, can we go inside?”

Tim did end up getting the Ghibli merch. And some Avatar  The Last Airbender merch because he was a nerd. And maybe he also snuck in a My Chemical Romance shirt for Jason that would mysteriously find itself in his brother’s dresser a few days later. Maybe.

* * *

“Hey, Kon, what do you think of this skirt?” Tim asked, holding up a pleated skirt covered in sun flowers. They had just walked into another store that was  _ not  _ Hot Topic, because Kon hadn’t found a leather jacket to his liking yet.

“It’s nice, why?” Kon cocked his head. “You mean for you?”

Tim shuddered at the thought. “Ugh, no. I wish, but the dysphoria would kill me. I was thinking Bart would like it. It matches the sun flower binder I got him last year.”

“Oh, yeah, he’d love that! Hey, there are the leather jackets! Want to come with?” Kon asked, looking at the jackets longingly.

Tim shook his head. “Nah. Leather isn’t really my thing. You go, we’ll find each other later.”

“Sure, babe.” Kon pressed a quick kiss on his cheek and ran off.

Tim had just grabbed a couple of hoodies when he spotted a familiar blue and red logo on a T-shirt. He walked toward it and picked it up with a smirk.  Oh, this was perfect.

He browsed for a bit, picking a shirt for each of his family members, until he heard his name being called. Tim turned around. Kon was grinning at him, one hand on his jutted-out hip, the other behind his head. He was wearing a god-awful neon yellow vest littered with sequins, an even more awful purple fedora with leopard print, and - worst of all -  _ jorts _ .

“And? Do you think I can pull it off?” Kon asked.

Tim stared at him for a few long seconds. “Kon. Kon, babe. What the  _ fuck _ .”

Kon doubled over laughing. Tim couldn’t help following. That’s when he noticed. He abruptly stopped laughing.

“Conner Josemiah-”

“That’s not even a real name.”

“- Kon-El Kent. What. Are. THOSE?!”

Kon was wearing crocs.  _ Camo  _ crocs.

“They are my  _ crocs _ , Timothy.”

Tim sighed and face palmed, dragging his hand down his face. “I should’ve never introduced you to Vine.”

He forcefully turned Kon around by the shoulders and nudged him towards the changing rooms. “Just... Go. Try on some actual clothing that doesn’t look like something Bart would wear.”

Kon complied, but not before bowing and tipping his fedora at Tim with a cheeky wink. “M’lady.”

Tim shoved him. “Get out of here, you.”

The next time Kon came out of the changing rooms, he was thankfully wearing some decent clothes. He had on a pair of maroon jeans with artful rips in them, a loose black crop top with a high neck and a sleeveless leather jacket. He struck a pose.

“Is this satisfactory for you, Timothy?” He asked with a posh accent that could rival Alfred’s.

Tim lightly slapped him on the arm. “It’s fine.”

Kon raised his brows. “Just fine?” He smirked, leaning into Tim’s bubble and waggling his eyebrows. “Or  _ fine _ ?”

Tim flushed, averting his gaze. “Fine, you look good, now shut up.”

Kon grinned, pecking him on the cheek. “Aww, thanks, babe. Did you also get something?”

Tim wordlessly held up the stack of hoodies in his arms.

Kon stared at him. “You- You got five identical black hoodies. And you’re wearing a black hoodie right now.”

“Yes?” Tim didn’t see the problem. Black hoodies paired with black jeans was a perfectly good outfit.

“ Tiiiim , c’mon, at least get some colour variety,” Kon whined.

Tim walked over to the stand he got his hoodies from. He replaced one of them for a dark grey one. “Happy now?” He asked when he stood in front of Kon again.

Kon laughed, resting his forehead on Tim’s and giving him a quick peck on the mouth. “You really are something else.”

They stood like that for a moment, just basking in each other’s presence, before Kon pulled away to change back into his own clothes.

“What’s that?” Kon asked while they stood in line to pay with a look at the stack of shirts Tim was holding. “Did you actually get something besides hoodies?”

Tim shook his head, a smile playing at his mouth. “Just some gifts for my family.”

Kon looked at him for clarification but Tim just smiled at him and motioned to put his stuff on the belt. It was their turn. Kon went to pull out his wallet, but Tim quickly swiped his card before he could.

“Tim!” Kon protested.

Tim waved the card in Kon’s face. “Billionaire’s son, remember?”

Kon pouted, crossing his arms. “Fine. But I’m paying for McDonald’s!”

“Hot Topic and McDonald’s. Romantic.”

Kon wrapped his arm around Tim’s waist, guiding him out of the store. “You know it, babe.”

* * *

“This feels... nice.” Kon said softly. They were walking through the mall on their way to the McDonald’s, and he was expecting Tim to ask what he meant, but his boyfriend stayed silent.

That was the moment Kon realized Tim had been strangely quiet the entire time he had been babbling about everything and nothing. Usually he’d be making quips at him and commenting on his stories. Now, he was just walking next to him with a distant look in his eyes.

Kon squeezed their clasped hands to catch his attention. “Tim? You okay?”

Tim’s head shot up as if he had been woken from a trance. “What?”

“Are you okay?” Kon repeated. “You haven’t said anything since we left the store.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. Just lost in thought. Did you say something?” Tim smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Kon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He was hiding something. Tim had never been able to lie convincingly to Kon. And not just because could hear it when someone’s heart beat sped up.

He wouldn’t pry though. He knew, maybe better than anyone, that Tim was a stubborn motherfucker and trying to get him to tell you something he didn’t want to was like convincing the Joker to not be such a murderous asshole. It just wasn’t going to happen.

“Okay then. I was just saying this feels nice.”

Tim looked forward again. “What does?”

“This. Walking through the mall with my boyfriend and trying on stupid clothes and having fun. It’s nice to feel like a normal teen for once.”

Tim smiled at him and squeezed his hand before looking forward again. “Yeah. I get what you mean.”

They arrived at the McDonald’s and Kon held open the door for Tim, bowing his head and gesturing for him to go inside.

“My liege,” He said dramatically.

Tim laughed – a beautiful sound. He flicked Kon’s forehead as he walked inside. “Dork.”

“Nerd,” Kon replied, sticking his tongue out as he followed after him. “I’ll order while you go find a booth?” He suggested, knowing Tim preferred to avoid social interaction with strangers as much as possible.

Tim answered with a nod and walked off. Kon got their usual and looked around, spotting his boyfriend sitting in a booth in the far corner. He slid into the seat opposite of him, which had his back turned to the door, and set their usual order on the table: a vanilla milkshake for Tim and an M&M McFlurry for himself.

He rested his chin on his fist and smirked at his boyfriend. “Hey there, beautiful, come here often?”

Tim snorted and swatted at his arm. “You’re a dork.”

“You love this dork.”

“Unfortunately.” But he was smiling.

Kon leaned over the table and kissed the tip of his nose. Tim’s dimples appeared as his smile widened and he went to take a sip of his milkshake. They slipped into easy conversation, the time ticking by.

The door opened, letting in a cold gust of wind. Kon turned around to see what was going on. A couple and their three kids came in, all loudly talking with each other. Kon turned back around, stirring the remains of his McFlurry with his straw, gesturing with his unoccupied hand as he started up their conversation again.

“-and have you heard that My Chemical Romance is back? They announced it on Halloween, talk about iconic. Hey, we should take your brothers to the concert, Damian and Jason like them too, right? Oh, I’ve been listening to this awesome artist called Cavetown, I think you’d like him, he-”

Kon abruptly cut himself off. He’d done it again, hadn’t he? He cursed internally. “Ugh, I’m sorry Tim, I always do this, I didn’t mean to start rambling. I- Are you okay?”

Kon had finally looked up from his shake. Tim was all tensed up, gaze fixed on something behind Kon.

“Timmy? Is everything alright?”

Kon reached for Tim’s hand, which was resting on the table. Tim snatched it away as soon as he felt the brush of his fingers, like it had burned him.

_ What’s going on? _

“Tim?”

Kon didn’t think he was listening. He had put his hands over his ears and closed his eyes so tightly his forehead got all wrinkled. He was rocking in his seat and humming slightly through his tight-lipped mouth.

Oh. Oh, shit. Kon knew what this was. A shutdown.

He quickly stood and was at Tim’s side in an instant, hovering around him. He didn’t want to touch him, seeing what his reaction was last time, but he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to get Tim out of here.

“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” He said, lightly brushing Tim’s shoulder. Tim didn’t pull away this time, fortunately, seemed to lean into it even. Kon put his arm around Tim’s shoulders and helped him stand up. They walked to the exit, Kon’s arm shielding him from weird looks from customers. Tim’s legs were trembling and he had a glassy look in his eyes.

Kon looked around and spotted an empty bench a couple meters away and guided Tim to it. They were in luck: they were in a less busy area of the mall and there wasn’t anyone else around.

He sat down next to Tim, careful to keep the brushing of their shoulders to a minimum. Tim hadn’t had a shutdown around him before, but he knew from research that you should try to minimize touching. Autistics tended to be repulsed by touch when they were experiencing a shutdown, as demonstrated by Tim jerking his hand away when Kon had tried to touch him earlier. Tim's eyes were still closed, his eyebrows scrunched up. He looked like he was in pain. 

Kon was panicking slightly. What could he do to help him?

He dug in his memories, trying to figure out if he had some useful information lying around in there. He recalled an instance with Damian, who’d threatened him after it came out that he was dating Tim. Tim had told him he and Damian had done a lot of bonding over being autistic. Damian hadn’t been told what it was by the League of Shadows and Tim had explained it to him when he’d been caught stimming once. Damian had told Kon that he’d better do his research so he could take care of Tim if needed be, or the tiny demon would knife him in his sleep.

Kon hadn’t doubted him and did as he said, though he hadn’t actually needed prompting. After Tim had told him he was autistic he’d scoured the internet for resources on it. That’s how he stumbled across the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He’d accidentally gone into  hyperfocus (thanks ADHD) and ended up reading everything the site had to offer. He remembered that it had said that during shutdowns it depended on the person what they needed.

His mind went to a memory of Tim from a few weeks ago. They had been watching  _ Spirited Away _ in Tim’s room - a personal favourite of Tim’s - when Kon went to grab a blanket against the cold. He’d picked up a large red one that was draped over the back of Tim’s small couch, and was surprised by the weight. When he’d asked Tim about it, he’d told him it was a weighted blanket.

_ “It helps when I’m anxious, or can’t sleep.” _

Kon obviously didn’t have a weighted blanket with him right now, so he went for the best alternative he could think of. He shrugged off his heavy leather jacket and draped it across Tim’s shoulders. Tim’s shoulders sagged and leaned into  Kon, his ears still covered but seemingly more comfortable. He let out a heavy breath and seemed to untense his muscles. Kon put his hand on one knee, rubbing circles into the denim. Knowing he couldn’t do anything else to help him, he just stayed where he was, letting Tim lean on him as the shutdown ran its course.

After what could’ve been ten minutes or ten hours, the humming ceased as Tim removed his hands from his ears and sat up. Kon’s hand slipped off his leg with the movement, but he grabbed it back with both of his and held on tight. Kon looked at him, but his eyes were looking downward and he wasn’t able to meet his gaze.

“Hey,” He whispered. “You doing better now?”

Tim nodded. Still non-verbal, Kon noted.

“Can you walk?”

A shrug.

“Is it okay if I pick you up?”

A pause, and then Tim nodded again.

“Okay, I’m going to do that now. I’m bringing you back to the manor, okay?”

Another nod.

Kon stood up, regrettably having to let go of Tim’s hand. He leaned down and weaved his arms behind Tim’s back and knees, picking him up in one fluid motion. Tim sagged against him, Kon’s jacket still around his shoulder, and buried his face into the crook of Kon's neck. Kon carried him out of the mall like this, bridal style, ignoring the looks various strangers shot them. 

He found an alley safe from prying eyes and took off. Tim was secure in his arms, cradled to his chest. He was safe now. It was all going to be okay.

He should probably call the manor to warn them that they were coming. He tightened his hold on Tim’s torso and released his legs, pressing a quick kiss on his head when he groaned and shifted slightly, to fish his phone out of his back pocket. He dialled the Wayne Manor home number, clutching the phone between his shoulder and ear to free his hand up so he could take hold of Tim’s legs again. It was picked up at the second ring.

_ “Hello, Wayne Manor. This is Dick Grayson speaking. Bruce is not available at the moment, but I can help you. Who am I speaking with?” _

Dick. Yeah, Dick would do.

“It’s Kon. I’m with Tim right now, he’s-”

_ “Wait, what? Tim’s with you?” _

“Yeah? Did he not tell you we were going on a date today?”

_ “No! As far as I knew, he’s been asleep in his room the entire day because he hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep in three days.” _

Oh. That explained a lot, actually.

Kon heard footsteps echoing on the other side of the line. They abruptly halted and Dick exclaimed,  _ “That little shit! He fucking tied his sheets to his bedpost and went out the window like the protag of a shitty teen movie! He told me and Alfie he’d go to sleep, I swear to God- Wait why’re you calling then? Is he okay?” _

Kon glanced down at his boyfriend. He seemed to be passed out, likely from exhaustion. His eyes were closed, face relaxed. His breathing had evened out in the time they’d been flying.

“Well...”

_ “Just tell me, Conner.” _

“He kind of had a shutdown in public and I had to carry him out of McDonald’s.” He could feel Dick about to say something and rushed to add, “He’s doing a little better. I’m flying us to the manor right now. We’ll be there in ten.”

He hung up before Dick could answer, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

When they arrived at Wayne Manor, Alfred was already opening the door, a worried looking Dick peering over his shoulder. 

“Thank you for bringing him home, Master Conner,” Alfred said. “We will take Master Timothy from you now.”

Alfred was already reaching for Tim, but Kon refused to hand him over, pulling him closer to his chest instead. “No. I’m not leaving until Tim wants me to.”

He looked the old butler in the eyes defiantly, until the man sighed and stepped aside. “Very well.”

Kon let out a relieved sigh. Alfred was by far the scariest resident of Wayne Manor. Batman who?  Kon only knew Alfred Pennyworth.

Alfred led him through the house, to the staircase. Kon was still flying, wanting to keep from jostling Tim as much as he could. Alfred showed him to Tim’s room, Dick still on his trail. Dick went to open the door, but his hand stilled on the doorknob as he turned to Kon.

“Hey, Conner,” He said. “Thanks for bringing my dumbass of a brother home.”

“Of course. I wasn’t  gonna let him go home on his own, not while he’s like this.”

Dick offered him a smile. “I know. Ever since you two started dating he’s been a lot happier. You’re good for him, Conner.”

Kon was stunned into silence for a second. Alfred spoke up. “I fully agree with Master Dick. Your relationship seems to help him a lot.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Kon croaked out. “I’m glad you think so. That means a lot.”

Tim stirred in his arms, mumbling something intelligible and nuzzling into Kon’s shirt. Kon looked down at him, petting his hair. “Shh, I’m here. It’s okay.”

Dick swung open the door. “Go. Take care of him. I’ll tell Bruce what happened and that you’re staying over.” He cocked his head. “You are staying over, right?”

Kon nodded. “Tim needs me right now. I’m not leaving him.”

Dick smiled. “Didn’t expect anything less.”

Kon ducked into the room, hearing the door close behind him. He carefully lowered Tim on the bed. Not careful enough, apparently, since Tim roused and blinked open one eye. He seems hazy for a bit, searching Kon’s face. He seemed to recognize him after about a second and both his eyes went wide as he sat up. In his haste, he headbutted Kon – thank fuck for invulnerability. Tim, however, was not blessed with being part alien and winced, cradling his throbbing head in his hands.

“Oh, shit, babe, are you okay?” Kon hurriedly asked, hovering around his boyfriend.

Tim groaned. “Ugh, you and your stupid head.”

“You love this head.”

Kon waited for a response. Usually this would get a “you wish” or a “yeah, I do” out of Tim, but right now, nothing.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked again, more concerned now. Tim just mumbled something and averted his gaze.

“Tim? Sweetheart? Can you speak up please?”

“’m sorry,” Tim finally squeezed out.

Kon was taken aback for a moment. “Sorry? For what?”

“I ruined our date.”

Oh.

Kon’s expression softened. “Oh Timmy, come here.” And he opened his arms. Tim looked at him questioningly. Kon kept silent, just moving his head in a “come on” gesture. Tim still looked uncertain, so Kon took the lead and engulfed him in his arms, pulling him against his chest. Tim stiffened, but when Kon started rubbing his back in a steady, soothing motion, he let go of the tension and melted into his boyfriend.

After a few moments, Kon spoke: “Tim, you didn’t ruin anything. Your health comes before everything else. We can always reschedule a date. You could’ve just told me you weren’t okay, you know that right?”

A non-committal hum was his only answer.

Kon laughed wryly. “I guess you don’t, huh?”

Tim’s voice was muffled in Kon’s shirt when he talked next. “You were so excited... I didn’t want to spoil your fun.”

“Tim, sweetheart, what will it take for me to get through that thick skull of yours that one, when you’re not feeling okay, I can’t enjoy myself either. I worry about you. And two, I enjoy spending time with you no matter what we do. And right now, that’s napping.”

Tim started protesting but Kon wasn’t having any of it. “Nuh-uh. You are going to sleep, young man.”

“I’m older than you, you’re like eight.”

Kon ignored him. “There’s no point arguing. I’m not letting you out of this room until you’ve had at least eight hours of sleep.”

Tim tried to get up, only for Kon to catch his wrist and pull him back down again, against his chest. He rolled over so Tim was laying on top of him, trapping him with his arms so he couldn’t try escaping again. “Babe, I have super strength, what did you think would happen? I’d just let you leave? You’re usually smarter than that, the sleep deprivation must really be getting to you.” Kon grinned.

Tim dropped his head on his chest and went limp. “I hate you,” he grumbled.

“Sure you do, babe, sure you do.” Kon lifted his head to look at his boyfriend. “Now, tell me, how’s your sensitivity? You good with touch like this right now? Do you want me to grab your weighted blanket?”

“No, this ‘s fine. Touching is nice. You’re better than any weighted blanket.”

Kon’s heart fluttered. Coming from Tim, who worshipped weighted blankets like they were the Messiah, that meant a lot. “I’m glad you’re feeling a little better. We do need to get out of our clothes, though, or at least our shoes.”

Tim groaned, the sound rumbling against Kon’s chest. “Don’t wanna get up.”

“Oh, so now you suddenly don’t want to anymore?” Kon teased. “Okay, you big baby, then I’ll do it for you.”

Kon carefully rolled Tim off of him onto the sea of mattress still unoccupied (thank fuck for  king sized beds). He went to undo his own shoes first, before moving on to Tim’s. He untied the laces, and gently pried the clothing items from Tim’s body, putting them on the floor next to the bed. He then walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a set of PJs. He changed into the – slightly too small – pair of sweatpants, wiggled out of his binder and got on the bed again. Tim had slung his arm over his face to protect his eyes from the lights.

“Timmy?” Kon gently poked Tim’s side. “You still with me?” Tim mumbled something that could be taken as a “yes”. “Is it okay if I take off your clothes to get you in something more comfortable? And are you okay with me touching your binder? You’ve been wearing it all  day; you need to take it off.”

Tim nodded the tiniest bit, which Kon took as a yes. He unbuttoned Tim’s jeans and slid them off his legs, replacing them for pyjama pants. He moved Tim’s arm so he could help him out of his T-shirt and binder and into the pyjama shirt.

When he was finished, he lay down next his boyfriend and pulled the covers over them. Tim rolled over so he was facing Kon and draped his right arm and leg over Kon’s body. Tim’s left hand had found Kon’s head, and was currently running through his hair with the gentlest of touches. Kon took the hint and wound his arm around Tim’s torso, resting his hand on his hip and softly stroking the sliver of exposed skin with his thumb. His other hand found Tim’s right and he laced their fingers together, squeezing once. He could feel Tim smile into his skin, where his head rested in the crook of his neck, and pressed a kiss on the crown of his head. 

“Goodnight, Timmy. Sleep well.”


	2. calmly at last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Kon have a lazy day and Jason is an annoying brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go, chapter two!
> 
> Trigger warnings: Tim has a panic attack in this. Skip from "Tim wrenched himself out of Kon’s hold, jumping up and turning around to face him." to "Kon was still there."  
> In this panic attack Tim also has flashbacks of emotional and physical abuse from his parents related to him being autistic. To specifically avoid that, skip from "He crumbled on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest and rocking in his place." to "He flinched away from the hand and covered his face."
> 
> Stay safe <3
> 
> Also I know nothing about the Batcave just pretend this is what it looks like I can't be bothered to stay accurate  
> Oh and Jason and Dick are at the manor bc of break rn idk just roll with it. Dick normally lives with Wally and Jason has an apartment somewhere else idk

When Tim awoke, his boyfriend was lying next to him, their arms and legs entangled. Had Kon slept over? They hadn’t planned that, right? Tim contemplated the answer for a few seconds, until he decided he didn’t care, Kon was here and he was going to enjoy it. He shifted so he could pull one arm out of their mess of limbs. Kon stirred, but kept on sleeping.

Tim traced constellations on his skin, connecting the faint freckles on his face that were only visible when you got nose to nose. First the one right under his eye, then over his cheek toward his nose, and lastly the other cheek. Kon’s eyelashes fluttered at the touch, and he slowly opened his eyes, locking on to Tim’s. He smiled hazily.

“Mmm hey,” He slurred, still drunk on sleep.

“Hey yourself.”

“You fully verbal again, then?”

“What do you mean?”

Kon looked taken aback for a second and sat up, taking Tim with him. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember wh- Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Everything that happened yesterday – his shutdown, Kon flying them back home, falling asleep together – flooded back at once. Tim shrugged. “My brain likely repressed it. Wouldn’t be the first time I didn’t remember trauma.”

Kon frowned. “Babe...”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. Well, it’s not, but y’know. It’s fine right now.”

“If you say so.” Kon didn’t sound very convinced.

“I do say so.” Tim stared Kon down, arms crossed defiantly, until neither of them could hold their serious expression anymore and dissolved into laughter. Kon drew Tim in a hug and kissed his nose. Tim hummed happily, closing his eyes. Kon grinned wickedly and started peppering his face with kisses. His cheeks, his forehead, his temple, his jaw, not even his throat was spared.

Tim giggled at the touch. “Pfff- Kon, that tickles!”

He tried to squirm away from the evil, evil touch, but Kon just strengthened his grip and refused to let him go.

“You keep forgetting I have super strength, Timmyboy.” He laughed.

“Ahahaha, Kon, let me go!”

“I’m never letting you go! You’re mine!”

Tim went slack. “I am.”

Kon was so taken aback by that, that he ceased his attack. Tim took this opportunity to sit up and grab one of the many pillows on the bed and whack him in the face with it. “Hahaaa! Revenge!”

Kon retaliated by smacking him back, Tim answering in kind. The pillow fight went on for a good ten minutes, Tim sitting on Kon’s thighs with Kon laying beneath him, until Kon let go of his pillow and raised his arms. “Okay, okay, I surrender! You win, you bastard.”

Tim grinned triumphantly. He was slightly out of breath, but didn’t let that deter him from leaning down and pressing his lips to Kon’s. Kon reciprocated, bringing his hand to Tim’s head and started playing with his hair. Tim hummed into Kon’s mouth and melted into him. The kiss slowly fizzled out, until they were just laying chest to chest, breathing heavily. Tim smiled.

“I love you.”

Kon caressed his cheek. “Love you, too.”

“Hey Tim, do you- OH MY GOD ARE YOU DEFILING MY LITTLE BROTHER?”

Both Tim and Kon jumped at the voice. Tim quickly rolled off of Conner onto his back and looked over to see who dared disturb them. He rolled his eyes at the sight of one Jason Todd smirking at them from the doorway. He threw a pillow at him, which he artfully dodged. It flew into the corridor. A soft thud and a “hey, what the fuck!” carried over into the room, from where it’d presumably hit an unsuspecting Dick.

Tim sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jason, I’m asexual. You know that.  _ You’re  _ asexual. Why are you like this?”

“You know I can’t resist teasing my favourite little brother.” Jason grinned, leaning against the doorframe. He ignored Tim’s muttered “more like harassing”. “Didn’t know you had a hot date over.” He said with a wink toward Kon.

“Jay, we’ve been dating for over  two year s  and you’ve known  K on  for  ages before that. What do you want, I’m busy.”

Jason snorted. “I can see that.”

Tim threw another pillow at him. “What. Do. You. Want.”

Jason threw his hands up. “Chillax, Timmy, I was just teasing. I was going to ask if you were gonna come down for breakfast, but I see now that you’ve already got a full course me-”

The next pillow hit him square in the face. “Jason. Get off my dick!”

“ _ Fine _ . None of us even have one anyway!” And he walked off.

“Of course that dickhead didn’t close the door,” Tim grumbled, getting off the bed to do it himself. Just before he got the chance to, Dick popped his head into the room. “You called?”

Tim slammed the door in his face. He walked back to the bed and faceplanted it. He lifted his head at the sound of Kon laughing. Laugh wrinkles had formed on his face and there was a tiny freckle next to his left eye.

“What?”

“Nothing, I just love your family. It’ll be nice when we’re officially related.”

“What the fuck does  _ that  _ mean?”

“Nothing. For now. Just thinking about our future.”

Tim crawled in Kon’s lap again and nuzzled his neck. Kon ran his fingers through his hair, getting rid of the tangles that had developed in his sleep. Tim relaxed into him, closing his eyes, and let himself be cuddled. He felt a tap on his neck, and opened his eyes again to look at Kon questioningly.

“Hm?”

“Can I braid it? Your hair, I mean?”

“Mmm sure.” Tim closed his eyes again, humming happily as his boyfriend did his hair. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, Tim content to let Kon play with his hair, until the latter spoke up.

“Tim?” His voice was hesitant, like it was hard for him to talk.

“Yeah?” Tim answered warily. “Is something wrong?”

“Well... no but yes?”

Tim was really confused now. “What does that mean?”

“We need to talk about it.” Kon’s voice was serious, but soft and full of affection at the same time.

“About what?” He knew what Kon was talking about. Of course he knew. But Tim Drake-Wayne could be one stubborn son of a bitch when he wanted to be and so he pretended to have no idea what Kon meant. Kon, of course, didn’t fall for it in the least.

“Babe. When you’re not feeling okay, you can tell me. Like I said yesterday, I can’t enjoy myself when you’re not feeling well.”

Tim tensed up. “But-”

“Please let me finish.” Kon interrupted. “Timmy, I know you were doing it for me, to give me the opportunity to have a good time, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of your health. I care about you, I care about you so much, and seeing you like that hurts me, too. If you can’t do it for yourself, take care of yourself for me. Please.”

Tim looked down at his lap. He picked at his nails for a bit, not sure what to answer. Kon had dropped his hair, which was now resting against Tim’s neck in a neat little braid.

“Tim? Can I touch you?”

Tim pondered over it for a moment, analysing his sensitivity levels, eventually deciding it was okay, and nodded. “No eye contact, though,” He murmured.

Kon put his arms around him, pulling him against him. He rested his chin on Tim’s shoulder. Tim didn’t move, but he did relax into the hug, releasing some of the tension in his muscles. “Of course, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss on his shoulder. “I’m not scolding you or anything. I just- It was really scary seeing you like that yesterday. You were in pain and I was right there but I couldn’t help you.” Kon was whispering now, his breath ghosting over Tim’s skin.

“No, Kon. You did help me. You got me out of there, got me home. You did everything right. I’m the only one to blame.”

“Hey. Tim. No. None of this was your fault, okay? It’s not your fault that you couldn’t handle the noise and it’s not your fault that you went into shutdown, okay? I need you to understand that. It happened and it sucked and it sadly will happen again, but that’s not on you.”

“I- But-”

“Tim. It wasn’t your fault.”

Tim wrenched himself out of Kon’s hold, jumping up and turning around to face him. “Why can’t you see that I’m only trouble! Just hurry up and realise it so you can leave me like everybody else! You’re just with me because, I don’t even know, you pity me or something! Just leave if you know what’s best for you!” His eyes widened as he realized what he’d just said, and he backed away. “Shit- No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t leave me, I’m  _ sorry.”  _ He choked on his tears then, back hitting the wall. He crumbled on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest and rocking in his place.

_ He was crying and his dad was there and he was yelling. “It’s for your own good, Timothy! Why can’t you just behave like a normal child!” _

Something moved in front of him. A hand. It was reaching out to him.

_ He was flapping his hands, grinning excitedly. He was calling for his mom, he wanted to show her something, a picture he took of the roses in the garden she loved so much. His mom entered his room, face scrunching up in disdain when she saw him. She rushed to him, slapping him in the face and holding down his hands. _

_ “Stop doing that!” She hissed. _

_ Her grip on his wrists was painful, but not as painful as being unable to move in the way his mind and body ached to. When she finally let go of him, she didn’t even spare him a glance before walking out the door. He touched his cheek. His hand came back bloodied. Her wedding ring had nicked him, the sharp, unforgiving diamond leaving behind a small cut. The pain finally registered and his eyes filled with tears. He sat on his hands. He would be good for mommy. _

He flinched away from the hand and covered his face. “Please don’t hurt me,” He choked out.

Tim couldn’t see it, but Kon’s expression crumpled. He quickly took back his hand, putting it in his lap instead. He’d gone to kneel down in front of Tim, but he’d realized it was probably better to move back a bit, give him some space.

Something was draped over Tim’s shoulders. He looked up to see Kon settling back down from what Tim assumed was him grabbing his weighted blanket from the couch and putting it around Tim. The weight was comforting and reassuring and Tim snuggled into the warmth it provided. He started humming quietly, trying to focus on the trill of his throat instead of the scenarios in his head. Finally, his breath evened out, and he could actually stand to look up and concentrate on his surroundings.

Kon was still there. He was sitting with his back against the bed, a few meters away from Tim. Far away enough to give him room to breathe, but close enough to keep an eye on him.

“You’re still here.” Tim breathed. Kon gave him a careful smile. “You didn’t leave me.”

“I would never,” Kon answered.

“You stayed.” Tim said, amazed.

“Of course I did. I couldn’t leave you alone, not while you were hurting like that.” Kon opened his mouth again, seemingly hesitating before going for it. “How are you feeling right now, sweetheart?”

Tim shot him a wobbly smile. “A little better,” He said, although his voice was still weak. “Thanks for the blanket. It helped.”

When Kon stayed still, he opened up the blanket with one arm, freeing the space next to him. “Come sit with me? Please?”

Kon smiled. He made his way over and settled next to Tim into his little cocoon of warmth and safety.

“This okay?” He asked as they sat shoulder to shoulder. Tim nodded, leaning against him. It was silent for a moment, both of them lost in thought.

“I’m sorry,” Kon said. “I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I wanted to help you understand that it’s okay to set boundaries, to take care of yourself first. But I went about it the wrong way, I know that now. I won’t push you to talk like that again. Just... please try to trust me. I’m here for you. I won’t leave you if you open up to me or show your autistic traits. Please don’t bottle it all up. Let it out. To me, or Bart, or your dad, or Dick, or Alfred, or hell, even to the fucking dog. We’re all here for you, sweetheart. You’re so loved, you know that? We’re not leaving you, never. We love you.  _ I  _ love you.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d said that, but every time he did, it left Tim breathless. He hadn’t ever heard it aimed at himself, not until he was adopted by Bruce. His parents had certainly never told him that. But once he’d arrived at Wayne Manor, the words were everywhere around him. Dick said it every day, Bruce told him regularly, Alfred said it occasionally, Jason every once in a while, and even Damian did it once in a blue moon. And not only was it expressed in words; it was also shown in everyone’s actions. Dick calling him babybird, Bruce affectionately ruffling his hair, Alfred’s gentle hand while patching him up after getting injured on patrol, Jason reading him a book when it was especially hard to sleep, Damian allowing him to sit in the same room as he drew and Tim worked on a case.

Tim had never been surrounded by so much love before. It overwhelmed him sometimes. He didn’t realize he was crying until Kon softly asked if he was okay. He wiped at his eyes.

“Yeah,” He said. “Yeah, I’m okay. I love you too.”

And Kon held him. Kon held him, and he truly believed his words. He was loved here.

* * *

“We probably need to get ready before Jason comes back,” Tim said, reluctant to let go of Kon but standing up anyway. He walked over to his closet, pulling out a pair of sweatpants.

“Sweatpants, huh?” Kon noted amusedly. “Fuck jean lives, I guess.”

Tim wriggled out of his PJ’s and tugged on the sweatpants. “Normal pants are for cowards, Kon. And I am not a coward!”

Kon laughed, walking over to Tim. “Okay, Chicken Little.”

“I don’t know whether to smack or kiss you for that.”

“Kiss. Definitely kiss.” Kon leaned in. Their noses were touching. They were so close Tim could count the freckles scattered across his cheeks. There was one right on the tip of his nose. Tim wanted to touch it.  So he did.

“Boop,” He said. “Boop. Boop, boop, boop.” He kept repeating the word as he booped Kon’s nose.

“Uh, babe? What’re you doing?”

Tim stilled, blinking once, twice, as if waking up. He retracted his hand quickly. “Oh- Um. Oops? Echolalia. It happens sometimes.” He flushed. “Sorry, that was weird.”

“No, no,” Kon rushed to say. “I don’t mind. It was cute. It’s just one of your little quirks, you don’t have to be ashamed for it.” He reached out and booped Tim back. “Boop,” He said. Tim smiled at him, grateful for having such an understanding boyfriend.

“Boop,” Tim repeated.

He turned back to his closet and opened a drawer. He grabbed both a binder and a sports bra, holding them up in front of his face, trying to decide which to wear. He eventually chose the sports bra, figuring he’d give his lungs and ribs a rest. As long as he wore a loose shirt, he’d be fine.

“You ready to go?” Kon asked. He’d kept his borrowed sweatpants on and had simply changed into one of the shirts he’d bought yesterday. When Tim didn’t answer he tried again. “Tim? You good?”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Tim quickly said. I just- Um. Can you-” Tim hesitated. “Can you braid my hair again?” He asked shyly.

Kon perked up. “Oh? So you liked it?”

Tim nodded quietly.

“Yeah, of course! Come here.” He sat back down on the bed and gestured for Tim to get over there. Tim settled between his legs. Kon separated his hair in three parts and within minutes he’d made a small braid. He let it slip out of his hand, a few stray hairs tickling Tim’s neck. Kon kissed the spot and looped his arms around Tim, pulling him against him in a hug. He rested his chin on Tim’s shoulder.

“Hey,” He said. “I love you.”

Tim threaded his hand through one of Kon’s. “Love you too.”

They stayed like that for a few moments, until Tim said, “Okay, now we  _ actually  _ have to go, or Jason will sic Alfred on us.”

Kon groaned but let go. Everyone knew Alfred was the scariest person in the house. Tim quickly snatched up the bag with yesterday’s purchases in them and they made their way over to the kitchen, Tim walking, Kon hovering slightly above the ground. Once, Tim had asked him why he hardly ever walked places. Kon had simply said “why not?” and Tim had agreed that if he had the ability to fly, he’d also never walk again.

Kon was going backwards, his face turned to Tim so he could look at him as he talked, gesturing animatedly with his arms while talking. As he went through the kitchen doorway, he bumped into a tiny body. He turned around and came chest to face with one Damian Wayne.

“Conner.”

“Damian.”

They stared each other down.

“Grayson informed me you took care of Tim during a shutdown yesterday. Thank you. You were... quite adequate.” Damian awkwardly patted his shoulder twice. He had to stand on his tiptoes to do so, Kon noticed. An amused smile pulled at his mouth, until he realised what the kid had said.

“Oh... uh. Thanks. I guess?”

“Yo, Dickiebird, did ya hear that?” Jason, who was standing at the stove cracking eggs in a sizzling pan, called out. Dick looked up from where he was shovelling Lucky Charms in his mouth. Was he... crying?

“He used first names... That’s a compliment of the highest tier,” He said in awe.

Jason, nodded along, following Damian’s retreating figure with his eyes. “I think he just gave you his blessing to propose, holy shit.”

Tim flushed, pushing past Kon and making a beeline for the coffeemaker. “What the fuck are you talking about, we’re nineteen!”

Everybody ignored him.

“Not right now,” Kon said. Tim dropped the bag of coffee beans.

“What the  _ fuck  _ does  _ that  _ mean?” He exclaimed, as Jason and Dick snickered. “I hate all of you.”

Kon walked over, picking up the bag and handed it to him. “You don’t hate me, do you, babe?” He batted his eyelashes at Tim exaggeratingly. Tim rolled his eyes and kissed him on the cheek in answer.

“Language, Master Timothy,” Alfred said, walking into the room with a tray of fancy looking tea. He walked over to a cabinet and got out the kettle. “Thank you for taking over the breakfast preparation while I was picking up the jasmine tea, Master Jason.”

Jason saluted, an arc of grease flying from the spatula still in his hand towards Alfred’s head. Alfred gracefully ducked.

“No problem, Alfie!” He grinned.

Alfred eyed the grease stain on the floor with a sigh. “Children.”

“Speaking of children, where did Little D go?” Dick questioned, just as said boy walked into the kitchen, Jon in tow.

“Do not call me that, Grayson.”

“But you are little!”

“I will slit your throat with a butter knife. Slowly and painfully,” The little boy threatened.

“Alright, babybat.” Dick ruffled his hair, much to Damian’s distaste. He swatted his hand away and huffed, pulling Jon towards their usual seats.

Kon, who’d watched all this unfold, turned to Tim. “Your family is unhinged,” He whispered; eyes wide.

Tim smiled widely and pressed a steaming mug of coffee into his hands. “Yup. C’mon, let’s go sit down. Alfie refuses to let anyone but Jay near the stove while cooking ever since the Pasta Incident.” He shuddered. “Never again.”

You know what, Kon wasn’t even going to ask.

As soon as they plopped into their seats, Kon went for the sugar, dumping four teaspoons into his coffee. Tim looked at him disapprovingly when he also poured in what seemed like a litre of milk.

“That isn’t even coffee anymore, you heathen.”

“Okay, Mister Timmy ‘I drink my coffee as dark as my soul’ Jackson Drake,” Kon shot back. “I may be an alien but even I can’t stomach that. Speaking of aliens...” He turned to look at his little brother on the other side of the table. “Sup, Jonnyboy. What’re you doing here?”

Jon perked up. “Hi, Kon! Didn’t Dad tell you?” He held his and Damian’s intertwined hands up. “I had a sleepover with Dami! I kind of got lost in the Manor so he came to get me just now.” He smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t worry, they used protection!” Dick said cheerfully.

Kon spit out his coffee. “What!” He choked, coughing. Tim silently handed him a napkin. “Thanks, babe,” Kon wheezed, cleaning his face and the table.

Poor Jon started spluttering, his head whipping between Damian, Kon and Dick rapidly. “What? No- We didn’t- Kon!”

Damian simply turned up his nose. “As if. I find those acts distasteful and do not possess the capability to be attracted like that to Jon – or anyone else for that matter – in any way, thank you very much, Grayson. You are fully aware I am asexual, have been for over a year now.”

“Also, we’re fifteen,” Jon added.

“Also, we’re fifteen,” Damian agreed.

Jason snickered into his glass of milk and high fived Dick, who was sitting next to him.

“I despise your existence.” Damian told him.

Jason cooed exaggeratingly. “Aw, love you too, little brat.”

“Stop calling me little!” Damian vaulted over the table, katana in hand (where did he  _ get _ that?), Jon scrambling to pull him back. Jason screamed, jerking away, his chair falling over at the sudden movement. He screwed his eyes shut, bracing for impact. It never came. He opened his eyes again and was met with a sight he wouldn’t forget soon. Damian was dangling in the air, Bruce holding him by the collar of his shirt, like a mother cat would its kitten.

“What’s going on here?” He tried to sound mad, but there was an unmistakeable hint of amusement in his voice.

“Nothing, Father,” Damian said guiltily.

“Jason?”

“What he said.”

Bruce set Damian down into his chair again, ruffling his hair. “Good.”

He kissed Jason on the crown of his head. “Morning, Jaylad.” He did the same with Dick, who chirped a “morning, B!” at him, and then on to Tim. He crouched down so he could look his son into the eye.

He lowered his voice so only Tim and Kon could hear him. “Hey, sweetheart. I heard from Dick that you had a shutdown yesterday. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine now.” Tim shot a smile at Kon, who answered in kind. “Kon helped me through it.”

Bruce pulled him into a brief hug, which Tim returned. “I’m glad to hear that. We can talk about it later if you want. I love you, kiddo.”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Love you too, Dad.”

Bruce turned to Kon. “Thank you for taking care of my son, Conner. You’re always welcome here, you  know that, right? You’re part of the family now.”

Kon swallowed around a sudden lump in his throat. “Of course, Bruce. I love him.”

Bruce grinned at him conspiringly and leaned closer to whisper, “Don’t tell him I said this, but I think he loves you too.”

“Daaaad, I’m right here.” Tim punched him in the shoulder. “You’re right, though.” He said, with a glance at Kon. Bruce laughed, planting a kiss on his son’s head and moving on to Damian.

Kon scooted his chair closer to Tim’s, grabbing his hand, brushing his thumb over his knuckles. “Love ya.”

“Love you too.”

Damian fake gagged. “Disgusting.”

(“Dis-gus-TANG" “Shut it, Grayson.”)

Bruce shot him a look. “Damian, you’re literally holding hands with your own boyfriend right now.”

Damian shut his mouth. Bruce kneeled in front of his chair. “You calmed down now, buddy?”

“Yeah, yeah. Todd was just being annoying.”

Dick piped up, raising his  hardboiled egg. “ So he was  _ egging  _ you on?”

Damian grabbed his fork, ready to throw it at his brother’s head. Before he could do so, a large hand enveloped his. “Damian.”

“Ugh, fine!” He huffed, dropping the fork.

“We’ve got to work on that temper some more, sweetheart. Just go have breakfast in peace now, okay?” Bruce kissed his youngest’s forehead. Damian smiled slightly.

“Yes, Father.”

Bruce smiled brightly and turned to Jon. “Good morning to you, too, Jon.”

“Morning, Uncle Bruce!” Jon grinned at him.

“You two had a good time yesterday, I’m assuming?” Bruce asked.

Jon lit up. “It was great! Damian showed me his sketchbook and then we played video games and-”

Kon tuned him out as he rambled on in order to focus on the plate of toast, eggs and bacons that had been set in front of him. He thanked Alfred and attacked his food.

The rest of breakfast went by fairly smoothly, besides Jason laughing so hard his milk came out of his nose and Dick rocking his chair so violently he fell over.

When everyone was done and their mess had been cleaned up, Tim grabbed the bag he’d set underneath his chair earlier. He dumped the contents on the table, clothing spilling out, earning him some strange looks from his family.

“What are you doing?” Jason asked.

“So, I went to the mall yesterday - yes when I snuck out, shut up, Jason – and I got you something.” He pulled out four T-shirts and a sweater, throwing one to each member of his family.

Damian unfurled his. It was a blue tee with a familiar red S on it. He shot Tim a look. “Really, Drake?”

Jon leaned in, lighting up when he saw his symbol. “Dami! We match now!”

_ You’re welcome _ , Tim mouthed at his little brother. Said little brother grumbled for a bit, but held on to the shirt.

“Heck yeah! A Flash shirt!” Dick exclaimed. “It can join my Flash pyjama, my Flash slippers, my Flash sun glasses, my Flash watch, my Fl-”

Jason slapped his hand over Dick’s mouth. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. You love Wally, he’s so amazing, did we know he’s the fastest man alive? And don’t you dare lick me, you dickhead.”

“Language, Master Jason,” Alfred chided.

Jason looked offended. “What?” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “That’s his name, and he has a head!”

Alfred gave him The Look.

Jason rolled his eyes and slouched in his chair. “ _ Fine _ , Alfie. I’ll put a penny in the swear jar. You happy now?”

Alfred nodded satisfactory. “Immensely.”

“Jason,” Tim said, impatient. “Just look at your dam- darn shirt.” He corrected with a glance at Alfred.

Jason did as he said. “You did not.”

“I did.”

“You seriously got us our boyfriend’s merch?” He asked, unbelieving.

Dick piped up. “Fiancé thank you very much.”

“Not the point, Goldie.” Jason seemed to realize something. “Wait, then what did you get B?”

Everyone looked at Bruce, Tim not bothering to hide a smirk. The man held up his T-shirt. Wonder Woman’s symbol was prominently displayed on the chest. Jason gasped.

“You got him  _ Wonder Woman _ merch? And not, me, your beloved older brother, Wonder Woman’s biggest fan?” He brought his hand to his heart, sagging in his chair. “I am wounded, Timbo,  _ wounded _ .”

“I’m offended on Roy’s behalf,” Tim said. “You would choose Wonder Woman over your own boyfr- okay, no, you know what, you’re right. Who wouldn’t?”

“Hey!” Kon said at the same time as Dick shouted, “I wouldn’t!”

“You don’t have a boyfriend anymore, Dickie,” Jason pointed out. “He’s your fiancé now, as you’ve told us many, many times.”

“Oh, right. My soon-to-be husband...” Dick sighed dreamily.

Damian huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Get a grip, Grayson.”

Jon shushed him. “Shut up, Dami. He’s happy!” He pried Damian’s arms apart and took his hand. “be nice.”

Damian grumbled but stayed silent.

That’s when they noticed. Jason burst out laughing. “You’re criticising Dickiebird when you yourself are already wearing the shirt? Hypocrite much.”

Tim tuned out Damian’s answer and the following bickering in favour of turning to Alfred. “Alfred, um. I was thinking and, well. We go out every night as bats while you’re here worrying about us and I just wanted you to know that you’re as much a bat as the rest of us. So, here.”

He presented the sweater to Alfred, who gently took it. He unfolded it to show that the familiar bat symbol was displayed on the front of the grey sweater. Alfred smiled wobbly and took out a cloth handkerchief, dabbing at his eyes with it.

“Thank you, my boy,” He said warmly. He stood up from his seat and walked over to Tim, pulling the boy into a hug.

Tim whispered, “You’re welcome, Alfred.”

When they were sat down again, Jason commented, “How come we have to do with a T-shirt while Alfie gets an entire sweater?”

Tim gave him an incredulous look. “Because it’s  _ Alfred _ .”

“Hm. Fair.”

And that was that.

Tim smiled apologetically at Jon. “Sorry, Jon, I didn’t know you’d be here so I didn’t get you anything.”

“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry about it!” Jon smiled.

“Actually...” Kon began, attracting everyone’s attention. “Wait here.”

He flew off.

“No flying inside!” Bruce yelled after him, then sighed. “Oh, who am I kidding. It’s not like anyone in this house listens to me anymore.”

Alfred patted his shoulder sympathetically. “There, there, Master Bruce.”

“Thanks, Alfred.”

Kon appeared again, still hovering above the floor, and threw something black at Jon, who was so startled he didn’t catch it in time. It hit him right in the face. He peeled the fabric off his face and inspected it. When he realized what it was, he looked at Kon in disbelief, who smiled and nodded at him.

“You got me a leather jacket?” Jon asked, sounding suspiciously close to tears.

“Yeah! I figured we could match, since we’re brothers now and stuff. Do you like it?”

Jon shot up from his chair, bumping into the table and startling everyone. He leapt over the table into Kon’s waiting arms.

“I love it!” He cried out. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Kon laughed and ruffled his already messy hair. “No problem, kiddo.”

He gently floated them down until they stood with both feet on the ground again. Jon held on for a second longer, then let go to put the jacket on. He ran back over to Damian.

“Well, Dami, what do you think?”

Damian flushed. “You look... handsome.”

Jon beamed. “Thanks, Dami!” He grabbed his hand, looking over to Alfred. “Uh, can we go now? Damian promised me we could play with Titus after breakfast.”

Alfred waved him away. “Go ahead.”

Jon zipped off, Damian in tow.

“Okay, kids, what do you say now?” Bruce addressed Dick and Jason when they were gone.

Jason groaned dramatically, slumping his upper body over the table top. “Seriously, Bruce? You’re really  gonna be that parent right now? Little late for that, don’tcha think?”

“Master Jason,” Alfred said warningly.

“Fine,” Jason said stretching out the I to a frankly ridiculous extent. He moved his head so he could look at Tim, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for the shirt, Timbit. You happy now,  _ Dad _ ?”

“Very.”

Jason slinked out of the room. Tim could swear he heard him mumble, “I hate this fucking family.”. Dick stood up, pulling Tim into a quick hug.

“Thanks, babybird!” He said and skipped out of the room.

Bruce cleared his throat. “I’ve got to go into work for a few hours, but I’ll be here in the midday, alright?” He put his hand on Tim’s shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “Will you be okay until then? I can reschedule my meeting if you need me.”

Tim shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m doing way better. Go to work.” And he nudged him toward the door.

Bruce laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m going. Kids never want their parents around anymore these days.”

Tim groaned.  _ “Dad.” _

“Love you, kiddo,” Bruce called out as he walked off, Alfred following behind him.

“Ugh. Love you too.”

And they were alone. Tim turned to Kon.

“Guess you gotta leave now, huh?” He said.

“What, you trying to get rid of me?” Kon teased. “As far as I know, our date is still going on. Unless you’re too tired and want me to go?” He added, giving Tim a way out in case he didn’t have the energy after the rough few days he’s had.

Tim quickly shook his head. “No, no. Stay. I don’t have the energy to do something intense right now, but we can just watch movies all day?”

Kon grinned. “Movies it is.”

* * *

Tim insisted they use the Batcave to have their movie day. (“It’s got the biggest TV screen in the whole manor, Kon!” “But- Batman-” “It’s the middle of the day, Kon, it’s  _ fine. _ Don’t tell me you don’t want to watch movies on a cinema sized screen.” “I mean...” “Exactly. Now c’mon before one of my brothers claims it first. The brat likes playing videogames on it.” And that had been that.)

Tim had pirated a bunch of animated movies and they were currently snuggled up on one of the couches in the Batcave watching a green haired  twink turn into a dragon. Tim was sat in between Kon’s legs, one of his slung over them. His oversized shirt was nearly falling of his shoulder, exposing his collarbone. Kon had snaked his arms around Tim’s torso, resting his chin on his shoulders. Tim was leaned back against his chest and he was clutching Kon’s hands, gently caressing the back of his hand with his thumb.

“This is nice,” He said.

Kon hummed in agreement. He turned his head slightly to kiss Tim’s neck. Tim giggled and tried to wriggle away from the tickling sensation. “Kooooon,” He whined. “Not agaaain.”

Kon just laughed evilly, his breath warm against Tim’s bare skin. Tim shivered as goose bumps appeared on his skin, and let go of Kon’s hands to push his face away. Kon caught his hand and instead of using his advantage to continue tickling Tim, he brought their hands to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of Tim’s wrist. He kissed the palm of his hand, then went on to each of his fingers. He finished with a kiss on the back of Tim’s hand, then held onto it, cradling it against his cheek.

“Kon,” Tim said, sounding strained. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m kissing your fingers,” Kon, ever the smartass, said.

Tim rolled his eyes. “Let me rephrase that. Why are you kissing my fingers?”

Kon hesitated for a moment, then spoke. “I just... really like your hands. They look so delicate and fragile. Piano fingers, Ma would call them. But they’re also so strong and powerful. And they’re a part of you. Why wouldn’t I like them? I love all of you.”

“Oh.”

Kon smirked. “ Also, they’re tiny, just like the rest of you.”

Tim gasped offendedly. “I am not tiny! You’re just huge!”

Kon just laughed and wrapped his arms around his torso again, his chin returning to his place on Tim’s shoulder. “Tiny Timmy,” He singsonged.

Tim huffed, but kissed his cheek anyway. “Just watch the damn movie.”

* * *

“Hey, Timmy?”

“Hm?”

“It’s nearly 2 pm.”

“So?”

“Um. Lunch?”

“Eh. I usually skip lunch unless Alfred tracks me down and basically force feeds me.” Tim shrugged.

“Tim!” Kon shot up, throwing Tim of the couch in the process. He went down in a flailing of limbs. “Lunch is  _ so  _ important, especially for us vigilantes! We need the energy! You can’t go from 9 to 7 without eating you absolute dumbass, why would you skip it?”

“First of all,  _ ow _ . Secondly, I don’t do it on purpose okay! I just get kinda carried away working on a case and just... forget to eat for eight hours. Thirdly, some help, please?” Tim asked from his uncomfortable position of being wedged beneath the couch and the coffee table. Kon looked at him  in surprise, like he hadn’t noticed he’d thrown him off before that. He laughed sheepishly, scratching at his neck.

“Oh oops, sorry, babe.” And he bent down and picked him up with ease. He kissed him on the head once.

“There, there, all better now.”

Tim grumbled about being treated like a child, which Kon just laughed at, throwing him over one shoulder. Ignoring Tim’s protests as he dangled upside down, Kon started walking them out of the cave toward the kitchen.

After uselessly pounding at Kon’s back with his fists for a bit (“Ugh, Kon, let me go! I can walk!” “I’m never letting you go, babe!” “Okay that was kinda sweet, I’ll give you that, but _ come on _ !”) Tim resigned to being carried like a sack of potatoes. Since he couldn’t see anything besides part of Kon’s back, he decided to study his butt, as you do.

“You know, I don’t really understand the hype around butts, being asexual and all – seriously they’re just mounds of flesh what’s so special about them – but yours is a good one.”

Kon abruptly stopped, seemingly choking on his spit as he started coughing. “Excuse me?” He managed to get out.

Tim, completely undeterred, touched his butt, kneading it slightly. He hummed contemplatingly.

“Uh, babe?”

“Yeah?”

Tim couldn’t see it from his position, but Kon had turned bright red. “You’re uh. Kind of groping me right now.

Tim paused, now realizing what it was he was doing, exactly. “Oh. Sorry about that. I was just thinking of how skilled you’d be at outrunning predators in prehistoric times.”

“...what?”

“Well, I had this theory as to why people apparently like butts so much. The butt exists for running right? We can run properly because of the muscles there. So, taking that into account, I’m assuming it’s some kind of evolutionary thing to find butts attractive. Like, ‘Ah, yes. This person can run and therefore hunt. They shall make a successful mate.’”

Kon was thoroughly baffled. “I- You’re so fucking weird.”

“Hm. I guess I am, aren’t I?” Tim mused.

“That’s why I love you, though.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get us to the kitchen so you can finally set me down. All the blood is going to my head.” He patted Kon’s butt twice for good measure. “Love you too.”

Kon continued walking. “Tim,” He piped up after a few corridors. “I think people just like butts cause they’re aroused by them.”

It was silent for a moment. Tim swore. “Oh right, sexual attraction exists, I forgot. Man, allos are wild.”

“They are,” Kon agreed. “I tried to have a fling once, before you. Turns out I just liked the guy’s outfit.”

Tim snorted. “Very demi of you.”

“Thank you. And for the record, I think you have a  very good hunter ass as well.”

“Thanks, babe.”

* * *

When they entered the kitchen, Bruce was sitting at the kitchen island sipping from a cup of tea. He raised one eyebrow at the strange display of his son dangling over Superboy’s shoulder, but didn’t comment.

Kon gently set Tim down on the kitchen island, gave him a quick kiss, then went on to rummage through the cupboards in search of who knew what. He opened one on the left, yelping when multiple boxes of cereal rained down on him.

“What the fuck?” He exclaimed in shock. “Why’s  there Fruit Loops,  Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms  _ and  _ Coco Pops in here? Isn’t one brand enough?” He used his TTK to put the boxes back, picking another cupboard to l1ook in.

“Kon, what the  _ hell  _ are you even looking for?” Tim went to jump off the island, but was pushed back by an invisible force. “Are- are you fucking using your TTK on me?”

“Language.” Bruce chided.

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Bruce, like you don’t regularly say fuck when Alfred is not around to hear. Kon!” Tim exclaimed as he continued to struggle against the telekinesis.

Bruce simply turned the page of the newspaper he was reading. “I know nothing of the sort.” Tim would bet a million dollars that he was hiding a smirk behind the page.

“Ugh, Kon, come on, let me help you. This is my kitchen! You have no idea where to find anything,” Tim complained when the TTK didn’t let up. “Bruce, are you seeing this? In my own fucking house?”

Bruce ignored him and Kon tutted. “Nuh-uh. You’re not doing anything today, mister. Let me do the work for once.”

“But Kon-”

“Nope.”

“Ugh,” Tim settled down again. “I hate you. You’re a useless boyfriend.”

“No, you  doooon’t ,” Kon singsonged.

“No, I don’t, now hurry up and make me lunch,” Tim huffed, crossing his arms in mock anger.

Kon just laughed and pecked him on the nose. “Alright, angry bird.”

“I am disgusted, I am revolted, I dedicate my entire life to our lord and saviour Jesus Christ and this is the thanks I get?” Tim raged.

Bruce looked extremely confused. “I thought you were an atheist?”

Tim just facepalmed.

* * *

After Kon had finally found what he was looking for, a pan apparently, he started putting a batter together. He seemed distracted, so Tim did another escape attempt. This time, there was no TTK holding him back, thank God. He slid over to Kon, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

“What’re you making?” He asked, nuzzling the back of Kon’s neck.

“Pancakes,” Kon beamed. “They’re Jon’s favourite. Ma taught me how to make them while I was visiting Smallville.”

He put the pan on the stove, having finished the batter, and started on the first pancake, undeterred by the boy draped over him. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the delicious smell of homemade pancakes. Tim hummed happily. Maybe boyfriends weren’t useless after all.

Dick sauntered into the kitchen. He sniffed exaggeratingly.

“Wow, Timmy, you chose a good boyfriend, this smells amazing. Wally tries but he’s so ADHD that he forgets he’s cooking so our dinner always ends up burnt.” He thought for a moment, index finger tapping his chin. “Although,” He pondered, pulling out all of the cereal boxes from the cupboard Kon had investigated before. “I’m not that much better I suppose. ADHD and cooking often clash. Too much buzzing around in our heads y’know?”

He grabbed a bowl and began filling it with the different kinds of cereal.

“No, that’s just you, I think,” Tim quipped, still hanging onto Kon. “Kon has ADHD too, remember? He does just fine, you’re just a nightmare in the kitchen.”

“Actually, babe... I can only make breakfast food. Everything else I will ruin. Once, I tried to make soup and burned it so badly the smoke detector went off.” Kon cringed at the memory. That had been... interesting to explain to Lois.

“Huh. I’d make fun of you for that but, well, I can’t really say anything since my diet consisted of mac and cheese and takeout for six years.”

Bruce snorted behind his newspaper, catching their attention.

“Oh, B, don’t you start,” Dick said, rounding on him. “Remember that time when I was like ten and Alfred was away on vacation so you had to cook? You started a kitchen fire! While there was a small child nearby! Oh, and don’t even get me started on the-” He looked around and lowered his voice to a whisper. “- _ Pasta Incident _ .”

Everyone but Kon winced. Tim smacked Dick’s arm, nearly knocking over a box of cereal, which Dick quickly grabbed and clutched to his chest.

“Shut up about that!” Tim hissed. “If Alfred had heard you, we could’ve been grounded for a month! Again!”

Kon’s mouth fell open. “A  _ month? _ What did you guys even  _ do? _ ”

Tim looked at him. His eyes were filled with fear. “Don’t even ask. Kon. I’m serious. Alfred had all of us swear an oath to never tell. No one can know.”

Kon blinked. “Man, your family is weird.”

Dick laughed, putting the Cap’n Crunch down. “Tell us something we don’t know. Oh, can you pass me the Lucky Charms, Conner? They’re the most important ingredient.”

Tim scoffed. “Ingredient? I’d hardly call making a bowl of cereal cooking. Besides, didn’t you have cereal for breakfast as well?”

“Shut it, Timmers. We  _ just  _ had this conversation. And cereal is perfectly valid for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking thank you very much.” Dick grabbed the box of Lucky Charms held up by Kon’s TTK out of the air. “Thank you, Conner. At least  _ someone  _ here respects my cereal.” He poured a good amount of Lucky Charms in his already overflowing bowl.

Kon stared. “Are you-” He began, in utter awe and confusion. “Are you making a bowl with every single kind of cereal you have?”

Dick started pouring milk in his bowl. “Yeah? What about it?”

Kon inspected the bowl closer. It was suspiciously big. “Wait. Is that a  _ salad bowl _ ?” His voice cracked at those last words.

_ “What about it?” _

Dick dropped a spoon in his bowl and left the kitchen, leaving behind a wide eyed Kon, an eye rolling Tim and a head shaking Bruce. Kon looked to Tim for an explanation. His boyfriend just shrugged.

“He does that.” was all he said.

“Your family is  _ weird _ .”

* * *

“Ta-da!” Kon exclaimed a few minutes later, proudly presenting a stack of pancakes to Tim. Tim had to admit they looked amazing.

Kon set the plate on the table and floated some cutlery over. He sat down, looking at Tim expectantly. Tim realised Kon wouldn’t start eating until he did, so he took a bite.

“Well?” Kon pressed, leaning forward in his chair. “How is it?”

“It’s good,” Tim admitted.

Kon sat back, looking satisfied. He picked up his own fork and dug in.

“Well,” Bruce said, the pages of his paper rustling as he closed it. He put his now empty cup in the sink. “I’ll leave you boys to it. If you need me, I’ll be in my office.”

He ruffled Tim’s hair, who squawked and ducked to escape his hand, and walked out of the kitchen. They ate their pancakes in comfortable silence for a while. At some point Kon started tapping a rhythm on the table.

“Why are you doing that?”

Kon looked up, mouth stuffed full. He swallowed before answering. “What?”

Tim gestured to his hand.

“Oh. I didn’t even notice. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Tim said. “You’re just stimming.”

“Right. I still forget that it’s okay to do that sometimes.”

Tim reached out to his other hand and gently pried the fork from his fingers, intertwining their fingers. “I know, so did I when I first started living here. It’s okay. You’ll get there.”

He quickly pressed a kiss on Kon’s cheek. Kon smiled at him, softly, gently.

“Thanks, birdboy.” And he started tapping away again.

“Anytime.”

They finished their pancakes and Kon scooted his chair closer to Tim’s so they were sitting with their legs pressed against each other. Tim laid his head on his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of Kon’s vanilla shampoo and the faint traces of leather that were still lingering around him even though he’d discarded his jacket for the day.

They sat in silence, content to just be in each other’s presence. Tim thought he could almost fall asleep when Kon spoke.

“It’s too quiet.”

Tim hummed. “Understimulation?”

He could feel Kon nod. He blindly searched his pockets and pulled out his phone, handing it to him. “Put on some music. Blasting loud music in my ear is what helps me, usually.” He rattled off his ridiculously long passcode.

Kon gaped. “You’re giving me the passcode to your phone?  _ You? _ ”

“I trust you.” Tim simply said, as if that was all the explanation needed. And maybe it was.

“Okay,” Kon said, still in shock, but he took the phone and opened Spotify. He looked around Tim’s playlists and found something to his liking. He clicked play and set the phone on the table as guitar notes started spilling out of its speaker.

Tim closed his eyes as Kon started drumming to the beat, relaxing against him. It was probably weird to find Gerard Way screaming about vampires lulling but eh. Once again, he was used to weirder things.

This went on for a few more songs, Tim threatening to fall asleep while Kon used the table as his personal drum set, until Kon suddenly jolted. The motion knocked his shoulder against Tim’s head, who whined.

“Oops, sorry, babe,” Kon said, taking Tim’s face between his hands to look for damage. When he didn’t find any, he pressed a quick kiss to Tim’s forehead. “Sorry, I just really love this song.”

Tim focused on the music.

_Now dance, fucker, dance_   
_Man, he never had a chance_

“It never fails to energize me,” Kon continued, head bopping to the beat. “Dance with me?”

“What,” Tim said flatly. “Did you just ask me to dance to a punk rock song in my kitchen?” He snorted, pushing him off so he could stand up. “This is why I love you.”

_And now you steal away_   
_Take him out today_   
_Nice work you did_   
_You’re gonna go far, kid_

Kon grinned, jumping up. “Love you too, babe! Now c’mon!”

They let loose, jumping around on their socked feet and headbanging until their brains hurt. Tim was freely flapping his hands while was Kon snapping his fingers to the beat, laughing all the while. When the ending notes faded out into the next song they were stood there in the middle of the giant kitchen, chests heaving and grinning widely at each other.

Tim opened his mouth to say something, but Kon scooped him up before he could get a word out. Tim yelped, swinging his legs around Kon’s waist so he wouldn’t fall – not like Kon would allow that.

“What’s this about?” He questioned, wrapping his arms around Kon’s neck. There was zero space between them and Tim could feel Kon’s heart beat in sync with his.

“Just felt like it.” Kon shrugged, a fond smile tugging at his lips. They were looking very kissable at the moment, so Tim gave in to his urges and pressed his mouth against them. Kon made a small noise of surprise before he sighed into it and reciprocated. They kissed lazily for a little while, until Tim felt a swoop in his stomach and opened one eye to investigate.

“Uh, Kon?” He said, breaking away from their kiss. “Are you aware we’re floating ten centimetres above the ground?”

Kon looked down. Their feet were indeed dangling in the air. “Oops?” He floated them back down. “It happens sometimes when I’m happy.”

Tim’s heart fluttered happily at that.

Kon gently set Tim on the ground again, although he didn’t release his hold on him, moving his arms from Tim’s leg to his back under his shirt, rubbing slow circles into the skin.

“And I’m very happy right now.” He whispered, resting his head on top of Tim’s, who had his face pressed into Kon’s shirt. He stroked the back of Kon’s neck softly, eyes closing.

“You also make me very happy, pretty boy,” Tim said into his chest, feeling Kon stiffen at the words. He looked up questioningly, wondering if he’d said something wrong.

Kon was looking at him, open and vulnerable. “You think I’m pretty?” He asked, voice fragile.

Oh.

Tim smiled, gaze turning gentle. “The prettiest.” He affirmed.

Kon’s lip trembled.

“Have I not said that before?”

Kon shook his head quietly.

“Well, that’s stupid. I’ll have to do so every day, then.” Tim decided, tugging Kon back into the hug. Kon’s arms lay firm but gentle around his ribcage, pressing just enough to imitate the feel of a weighted blanket. It was perfect. He was perfect.

That’s when Tim realised he never wanted to let go of this boy.

“Marry me,” He breathed.

Kon reeled back as if he’d just been slapped , his jaw going slack and his eyes widening comically.  _ “What?” _

“I mean it,” Tim said, taking Kon’s hands in his. “Not right now, of course,” He rushed to add. “We’re only nineteen. But- Someday. I think- I  _ know  _ \- I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Kon didn’t even hesitate. “Okay,” He said. “Yeah, okay. I’ll marry you. Someday.”

H is eyes were glistening, Tim realised. He stepped forward, tugging Kon closer at the same time until they were chest to chest again. He let go of his hands to cradle his face , gently wiping the tears lingering on his eyelashes  away.

“Why are you crying?” He asked softly. “Are you sure? Like I said, we’re only nineteen and have only been dating for two years, and it’s more of a promise than a proposal, but you don’t have to give me an answer right now. You can say no.”

“No, sorry, that-" Kon cut himself off. “These are happy tears, Timmy, I promise. I just wasn’t expecting that at all. Every time I think I’ve got you figured  out, you surprise me again.” He grinned.

“What can I say? I like being unpredictable.”

“That you do , babe ,” Murmured Kon. “That you do.” Suddenly, he squealed, wrapping his arms around Tim's torso and lifting, spinning him around.

“Woah!” Tim laughed, quickly slinging his arms around Kon’s neck to stabilise himself. “What’s up with you?”

Kon grinned widely, slowing down so they could look each other in the eye. “I’m just really happy.”

Tim’s laughter turned into a soft smile. “Yeah. Me too.”

Kon set him down again, and Tim took a step forward so he was standing on Kon’s feet. The small height gain made him just tall enough to be able to kiss him if he also stood on his toes.

It wasn’t a very good kiss. They were both smiling too widely and Kon’s fingers were ghosting up and down his ribcage, the tickling sensation making Tim squirm slightly. But although objectively, it wasn’t a good kiss at all, Tim treasured every second of it. This was the start of a new chapter for them. Nothing and nobody could ruin this for him.

* * *

“We should probably clean up and go back down to the cave,” Tim said after a while, reluctant to let go. Kon pulled away, zipping around the kitchen, cleaning the mess he’d made in just a few seconds.

“Done,” He said, grinning before Tim. “Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride down.”

“Why? I can walk fine.”

“Because I like holding you.” Tim was impressed with the way he said it, so unabashed. He just told it like it was fact – which it probably was.

“Oh. Okay then.”

Kon turned around so Tim could jump on, taking hold of his legs. He took off yelling. “Let’s go lesbians, let’s go!”

Tim burst into laughter. “Cass is out, you know.”

“It’s about the memes, Tim. Bart said so,” Kon quipped back.

“When has it ever been a good idea to listen to Bart?” Tim laughed, holding on tighter.

“Plenty of times!” Huffed Kon. “Like when... uh.”

Tim snorted. “That’s what I thought.”

“You’re so mean for making fun of our best friend when he’s not here to defend himself.” Kon said, walking down the stairs to the Batcave.

“Yup, that’s me. Mean and making fun of innocent speedsters.” Tim affirmed.

He couldn’t see it but he could swear he heard Kon roll his eyes at that. “As if. You’re the biggest, softest nerd I know.”

Tim shrugged. “Takes one to know one.” He smirked evilly. “Pretty boy.”

Kon dropped him.

“Ow,” Tim said.

“That’s what you get for saying those things when I’m caught off guard,” Kon said, but he was already turning around and helping him up. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Tim reassured, rubbing his butt where he’d hit the floor. “I’m fine.” His voice took on a teasing lilt. “Guess you need to work on your reflexes,  _ pretty boy _ .”

Kon buried his face in his hands, flopping over onto the couch. “Stoooop. Why do you keep doing that?”

Tim laughed, sitting down next to him and petting his hair. “Because it’s the truth. You’re really beautiful, you know that right?”

Kon peeked at him from in between his fingers. “Really?”

Tim smiled softly at him. He gently pried his hands away from his face, kissing his fingers one by one. “Really.”

Kon curled up against him, laying his head on Tim’s lap. “Okay, I believe you,” He said. “You wouldn’t lie to me. I trust you.”

Tim carded his fingers through his impossibly soft hair. “You’re right. I wouldn’t. You’re beautiful and I love you.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Kon’s mouth. Kon smiled into it.

“Love you too. Now play the next movie.”

* * *

They were about halfway into the movie when Tim suddenly jolted and pulled his hands from Kon’s hair, startling him. He looked up at Tim from where he was still laying in his lap.

“Something wrong?”

“Is that what you meant with those comments about being related to my family?” Tim asked, resuming playing with his hair.

Kon was confused. “What do you mean?”

“The marrying thing. This morning you said, and I quote, “It’ll be nice when we’re officially related.” And at breakfast you told Jason “ not right now” when he said Damian gave you permission to propose to me. Is that what you meant?”

“I mean, kinda?” Kon flushed. “I wasn’t planning to propose or anything, I was just thinking avout the future. Our future. Guess you beat me to it, though.”

“You complaining?” Tim grinned.

Kon pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand. “Hell no.”

* * *

“What movie should we watch next? How To Train Your Dragon or Treasure Planet?” Tim asked as the credits to _ Howl’s Moving Castle _ rolled. Sometime into the movie, they’d moved so Kon was laying on his back with Tim sprawled over him, their legs tangled together.

Kon thought for a moment. “Both?”

Tim nodded. “Both.”

A black flash zipping past interrupted their conversation, followed by a loud bark. Alfred the cat sprinted in front of the screen, disappearing in the cave, Titus right behind him. A second later, a Jon flew past in a blur of blue and red. Damian was clinging to his shoulders and yelling, his legs flailing behind him. “Titus, heel!”

Jon glanced sideways at his brother for a moment. “Oh hi, Kon!” A loud crash sounded from farther into the Batcave. “Ugh, Titus, stop!”

“Fly faster, Kent!” Damian yelled. “And don’t fucking drop me!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Jon screamed back. “Just hold on with your noodle arms, Dami!”

“Ex- _ cuse  _ you! I’ll have you know I’ve trained with masters in combat who had skill higher than you’ll ever know since  _ birth _ -”

And they were gone.

Kon blinked at Tim once, slowly, wondering what the hell just happened. Tim just shrugged and settled back against his chest, directing his focus back to the TV. Weirder things had occurred in Wayne Manor.

* * *

Heavy footsteps clunked down the stairs just as Toothless let Hiccup touch him. Jason appeared with his helmet in his hand.

“’Sup, Timmy,” He said, looking Tim and Kon’s entangled forms on the couch up and down. “You doin’ alright, bud?”

Tim shot him a thumbs up, signalling everything was fine. “Where’re you going dressed like that? It’s the middle of the day.”

“ Royboy needed me for something.  Betcha that dumbass accidentally blew something up again.” He smiled fondly. “Well, can’t let the boyf wait. See ya.” He saluted and headed out.

* * *

Damian trudged in, a half-asleep Jon hanging onto him. He went straight for the couch Tim and Kon were sat on, setting Jon down on the opposite side and settling next to him. Jon immediately crawled all over him, nuzzling his face in the crook of Damian’s neck. Damian grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. He shot Tim a glare as he tucked Jon in. “Not a word, Drake.”

Tim held up his hands innocently. “Don’t look at me, I wasn’t saying anything.” He couldn’t help smiling a bit however.

Jon raised his head from where it was resting against Damian. “We chased them around the entire manor, Kon. The  _ entire _ manor. Do you know how big this hecking place is?” He complained.

Kon snorted. “I’ve got an idea, yes. Also, Dad isn’t here, kid, you can swear.”

“No, Kon, Dad has SuperDad senses, he’ll  _ know _ .” And he dropped his head again. Damian closed his eyes and relaxed, playing with the locks of hair curling against the nape of Jon’s neck. 

The sound of a roaring motorbike echoed through the Batcave, disturbing the peace and quiet. Moments after it quieted down again, Jason was walking over to the couch. He dropped on top of it, slouching so much he was nearly falling off the couch. 

“That kid, I swear, she’s worse than her dad.” He complained, chucking his helmet away. It came to a stop somewhere in the cave behind them.

Tim  smiled . “You love them.”

“Don’t remind me.” He grumbled. But there was a fond smile on his face

He looked over at the Damian/Jon blanket burrito. “What’s with them? Has the Demon Brat finally gone soft?”

Damian opened his eyes and shot him a glare. “I can assure you, Todd, I am not ‘soft’”- Tim could practically hear the air quotations even though Damian’s hands were too busy making tiny braids in Jon’s hair to actually make them - “I’ll have you know I can still kill you in eleven different ways.”

“Sure, babybat. I can totally see that from the way your boyfriend is asleep in your lap right now.” Jason snorted.

“'m not ‘sleep,” Jon mumbled, not even opening his eyes. “Jus’ tired fr’m flying Dami around ‘n chasin’ th’ dog ‘n cat.”

Damian dropped his gaze back to his boyfriend and gently caressed his cheek. “It’s okay, be love d. You can sleep. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Jon murmured something intelligible and curled more into Damian. Damian wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his head. He closed his eyes again as if to show that he wasn’t responding anymore.

Tim was loath to admit it, but it was adorable.

* * *

A while later, Dick waltzed in, a box of Lucky Charms in his hand. He plopped down next to Damian, using him as a back rest and swung his legs on Jason’s lap. Damian grunted but didn’t shove him off, only adjusting slightly so Jon, who was still cuddled into his shoulder on the other side, wasn’t threatening to tip over. Jason was too wiped out to do more than weakly push at his feet, resigning to being used as a foot rest after a couple seconds.

Dick caught Tim’s eye that he’d opened at the noise from where he was laying on top of Kon and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Tim gave him the finger, which he just laughed at silently. He grabbed a handful of cereal and started crunching away, watching the TV with interest, which was currently playing Into  The Spider-verse.

Tim closed his eyes again, dozing off.

* * *

“Alfred,” Bruce said a few stories above them. “Where have all the kids gone?”

“They’re all down in the cave, Master Bruce. You go join them and I will be down with dinner for everyone shortly.” The butler responded.

When Bruce padded down the stairs, he was met with the visual of his four kids and two of their respective boyfriends cuddled up and passed out on the couch. The TV was on – some movie about a redheaded girl with a bow – but the only one who seemed to be watching still was Dick. Said boy looked up when he heard Bruce approach, and offered him a small wave, which Bruce returned. Dick put a finger to his lips to indicate that he had to stay quiet.

Bruce walked over to his sons, lifting Dick’s legs so he could slip underneath them and sit in between him and Jason. He put Dick’s legs down again so they were now splayed across his and Jason’s lap.

They watched in silence for a while, surrounded by their sleeping family members.

“Hey, chum, Alfred will be here soon with dinner,” Bruce spoke up. “Care to give me a hand in waking these kids up?”

Dick grinned wickedly at the prospect. “Always.”

He hopped off the couch, immediately launching himself on top of Jason, who awoke with a start. He shoved the attacker off, fists raised defensively. When he saw it was just Dick, he calmed.

“Oh, it’s just you.”

Dick, who’d fallen on his butt on the floor due to Jason’s shove, gasped, putting a hand to his heart. “ _ Just  _ me? I am hurt, Jay. Is this how you repay your dear brother for waking you in time for Alfred’s delicious dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Hurt!”

Jon groaned, having been awoken by the noise, and lifted his head from Damian’s shoulder and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. “Wh...?”

Damian patted his cheek. “It’s okay, be love d. It’s just my idiot brothers being idiotic.”

Dick stood up, wiping the dust from his pants. He walked over to Tim and Kon, who were still fast asleep. He gently nudged at Tim’s shoulder. It generally was a Bat-rule that one was to never wake up Tim, but Dick knew for a fact that he’d actually slept the whole night, and he had to eat dinner, so he figured waking him from this nap was fine.

“Timmy, wake up.”

Tim opened his eyes. “Hmm? Dick?”

“Nap time over, kiddo. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Tim nodded, pushing himself up with a hand on Kon’s chest.

“Oh, so Tim you wake up in a nice way, but me you assault. I see how it is,” Jason’s voice sounded behind him.

Dick rolled his eyes at his little brother. “"Assault.” As if you haven’t woken me up by throwing the Xbox at me before.”

They devolved into bickering, both Bruce and Damian pinching their nose in the background in a scarily similar manner. Like father, like son?

Tim prodded at Kon’s cheek. Somehow, he’d managed to sleep through his brothers' antics, but now he was slowly waking up.

“Tim?” He mumbled.

Tim smiled. “Yeah. I’m here.”

Kon sat up just as Alfred’s voice echoed through the cave. He’d entered silently, a large tray with multiple plates on it in his hands. “Ah, I see all the young Masters are awake. For once, I’ll allow you all to eat here instead of in the dining room, since these are special circumstances. However,” He shot a pointed look at Tim. “This will not become a regular occurrence because you will  _ all  _ keep the sleep schedule Master Bruce and I have set up for you, and not sneak out when you’re supposed to be asleep.”

Tim gave him a guilty smile. “Sorry, Alfred.”

“It is quite alright, lad.” Alfred ruffled his hair, expertly balancing the tray on one hand. “You gave us quite a scare yesterday, my boy. Please try to take care of yourself better in the future, alright?”

“Don’t worry about that, Alfred,” Dick cut in, sidling up next to Tim and giving him a  noogie . “I’ll be keeping my eye on this one for the next few days to make sure he doesn’t pull any stunts like this again.”

“Certainly,” Damian said while Tim wrestled out of Dick’s grip. “Being in a state of heavy sleep deprivation will only hinder your work as Red Robin during patrol, so it’s of utmost importance that you sleep regularly.”

Everyone was stunned silent for a moment.

“Oh,” Tim said, touched. “Thanks, Dami.”

Damian huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. “What for? I am simply thinking of the mission. You’re no good to us if you can’t even stand on your feet.” He turned to Alfred. “I believe dinner is ready, Pennyworth?”

Alfred set the tray down on the coffee table and started handing out plates of food. Dick passed around cutlery by throwing it at everyone, not an unusual occurrence. (“Yeet!”)

Tim caught his fork and knife and settled down on the couch with his warm plate on his lap, his family doing the same around him.

Tim looked at his family and smiled to himself. Dick and Jason were ganging up on Bruce, trying to sneak bites from his food from both sides while Alfred looked on in amusement. Next to them, Jon was gesturing animatedly as he talked with his mouth full, Damian pinching his nose and lecturing him about his manners. Kon was sitting next to Tim, eating with gusto. They were shoulder to shoulder, the warmth of Kon’s body a familiar comfort. He snuck a glance at him. Kon noticed him looking and gave him a soft smile.

“You okay?”

Tim contemplated the answer for a moment. He wasn’t entirely okay yet; they both knew that. But he would get there, eventually. Eventually he would be okay, but now, now his family was here and he was loved. That was enough for now.

“Yeah. I will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> That butt scene was based on a convo I had with my best friend @thegreatestsun (who's got amazing DC fics here go read them) and I just had to put it in
> 
> This fic was my life for 1,5 months and I'm so happy to have it be out there. This was my first time writing Timkon and Kon in general so I hope I did a good job. Please tell me what you thought in the comments  
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Fun fact: the working title for this was sleep? Dont know her
> 
> My DC tumblr blog: autistic-damian-wayne


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